ERIC ED604323: Foreign Language Anxiety and English Language Achievement in Higher Education: The Mediating Role of Student Engagement

2020·0.43 MB·English

by  ERIC

European Journal of Education Studies
ISSN: 2501 - 1111
ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu

doi: 10.5281/zenodo.3756910 Volume 7 │ Issue 3 │ 2020

FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION:
THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENTi

Eylem Oruç1ii,
Cavide Demirci2
1Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University,
School of Foreign Languages,
Bilecik, Turkey
2Eskişehir Osmangazi University,
Faculty of Education,
Eskişehir, Turkey

Abstract:
The study aims to examine the mediating role of engagement in the relationship between
foreign language anxiety and English language achievement. The research design of the
study is prediction research design. The participants consisted of 605 English preparatory
class students at Foreign Languages Department at university level. Path analysis was
used to analyse the data. The results show that student engagement mediated the
relationship between foreign language anxiety and English language achievement. It was
concluded that when engagement predicted English language achievement, the effect of
foreign language anxiety on English language achievement partially disappeared. It
means that the effect of foreign language anxiety on the English language achievement is
not able to predict solely by engagement in EFL classroom. Therefore, other mediator
variables can be investigated in the relationship between foreign language anxiety and
English language achievement.

Keywords: foreign language anxiety, student engagement, engagement in EFL
classroom, English language achievement

1. Introduction

In today’s world, English language teaching has become significant due to globalization,
technological and scientific developments. Foreign language education is considered to

i This work was adapted from the dissertation by Eylem ORUÇ under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Cavide
Demirci in Educational Sciences Institute and supported by the Scientific Research Projects Commission
(Project No: 2017-1756) at Eskişehir Osmangazi University.
ii Correspondence: email [email protected]
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
© 2015 – 2020 Open Access Publishing Group 199
Eylem Oruç, Cavide Demirci
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT
IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

be ineffective in Turkey since most university students have difficulty in communicating
in English especially speaking despite the fact that they have studied English for many
years in formal education. One of the factors affecting language teaching is foreign
language anxiety which has been studied for more than 50 years. Many learners of
foreign language state that they have a psychological barrier against language learning.
This situation, which is called as a foreign language anxiety by Horwitz, affects the
language learning process in the classroom negatively (Horwitz et al. 1986, p. 125). As
most of the students are learning English in classroom environment in English non-
speaking countries, foreign language anxiety appears to be an inevitable phenomenon to
appear. Gardner (1991, p. vii) states that foreign language anxiety is such a remarkable
phenomenon in the language learning process that any theory that tries to understand
language learning process should take it into account.
Universities which have become global institutions as a result of demographic,
economic and technological changes in the world, need to graduate more successful and
productive students ever than before. The concept of student engagement (Astin, 1984,
p. 299), which is defined as the physical and psychological energy used by students in
their learning, has attracted substantial attention of scholars since it is potentially
important to develop learning and teaching processes in higher education in recent years.
Student engagement which refers to being active in learning process is a concept to be
developed in order to increase academic achievement and motivation. It provides an
important basis for social, emotional and cognitive development of students in university
life (Asghar, 2014, p. 249). Student engagement enhances understanding dynamics of
foreign language teaching in the classroom environment (Oga-Baldwin and Nakata, 2017,
p. 151). Few studies define student engagement based on foreign language teaching
theory and practices. In this study, student engagement was examined based on
theoretical framework of language acquisition and learning processes.

2. Foreign Language Anxiety

Foreign language anxiety is a type of anxiety specific to the language learning context.
(Horwitz, 2010, p. 154; Horwitz, 2001, p. 115). This concept can be defined as students'
negative emotional reactions to language learning (Horwitz, 2001, p. 114). According to
another definition, foreign language anxiety is expressed as tension, anxiety and negative
emotional reaction that occurs when learning or using foreign language (MacIntyre and
Gardner, 1994, p. 284; MaacIntyre, 1998, p. 27; MacIntyre, 2007, p. 565). Similarly,
Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1991, p. 31) describe foreign language anxiety as the sum
of perceptions, beliefs, feelings and behaviors related to language learning (Horwitz et
al., 1991, p. 31). Horwitz (1986) and Horwitz et al. (1986) state that foreign language
anxiety has a weak relationship with general anxiety. Therefore, foreign language anxiety
is expressed as a kind anxiety specific to foreign language classroom that learners
experience in communicating with their teachers and peers.

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Eylem Oruç, Cavide Demirci
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

2.1 Foreign Language Anxiety and English Language Achievement
Many studies have shown that there is a negative relationship between foreign language
anxiety and English language achievement (Horwitz, 2001, p. 112; Horwitz, 1986, p. 561;
Aida, 1994, p. 155; Gökcan and Çobanoğlu Aktan, 2018, p. 531; Ganschow, Sparks,
Anderson, Javorshy, Skinner and Patton., 1994, p. 51; Elkhafaifi, 2005, p. 206; Gerencheal,
2016, p.1: Çakici, 2016, p. 292, Doğan and Tuncer, 2016, 18, Batumlu and Erden, 2007, 35,
Tuncer and Temur, 2017, 908, Deniz and Ilıcalı Koca, 2018, 292, Dewaele and Alfawzan,
2018, p. 39, Kuşçu, 2017, p. 88). Salehi and Marefat (2014, p. 931) found that foreign
language anxiety and test anxiety correlates negatively with foreign language exam
performance. Subekti (2018, p. 15) examined the relationship between foreign language
anxiety and speaking performance of university students in Indonesia. It was concluded
that there is a negative relationship between foreign language anxiety and performance
In addition, negative relationships were observed between achievement and dimensions
of foreign language anxiety: communication anxiety, test anxiety and negative evaluation
anxiety. Similarly, Liu and Zhang (2013, p. 1) found that test anxiety of university
students in China affected academic achievement adversely.

2.2 Student Engagement in EFL Classroom
Student engagement stands out as one of the important variables in foreign language
classroom environment (Oga-Baldwin and Nakata, 2017, p. 151). Although different
aspects of student engagement have been discussed in language teaching literature, it has
been operationally defined in a small number of studies. Ellis (2010, p. 342) defined
engagement in the second language learning as learner responses to teacher feedback.
Student responses to teacher feedback can be considered as a part of student engagement
in a foreign language course. Philip and Duchesne (2016, p. 70) argue that student
engagement should be conceptualized considering learning environment, tasks and
students. Therefore, student engagement can be defined based on language learning
processes.
Svalberg (2009, p. 245) defines engagement as a concept in which the learner acts
as a subject and language is an object or means of communication. Engagement in foreign
language classroom includes certain cognitive situations, affective tendencies and social
attitudes as well as actions and behaviors in the language teaching process. Cognitive
engagement requires learners to be alert, focus his attention, and construct knowledge.
Autonomy is also considered as part of cognitive participation. An affectively engaged
learner should have positive attitude and willingness towards language learning as well
as purposeful tendency for learning language. Social participation requires interaction
and entrepreneurship. Svalberg (2009, p. 248) states that engagement is a cyclical process
that enables learners to develop new awareness by taking advantage of foreign language
awareness. Cognitive, affective and social dimensions are also affected by this cycle.
Students' fatigue levels, general health levels, emotional states, and classroom task design
may affect their cognitive engagement. In addition, affective engagement can be
influenced by subject matter, personality traits, and cognitive and social factors such as
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

self-perception and group dynamics. Finally, social engagement can be influenced by
friendship, power dynamics and values in classroom (Svalberg, 2017, p. 4). Therefore,
cognitive, affective and social factors are interrelated. and in order to understand
language engagement, it is necessary to understand how these dimensions interact with
each other.
Research on student engagement indicate that student engagement has a positive
impact on students' academic achievement (Finn, 1989, p. 117; Junco, Heiberger, and
Loken, 2011, p. 119; Harbor, Sweigart, Evanovich and Hughes., 2015, p. 5, Reee and Lee,
2014, pp. 527). Harbor et al. (2015, p. 7) states that student engagement is one of the best
predictors of academic achievement. Student engagement enhances learning and
academic achievement (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris, 2004, p. 59). On the other hand,
foreign language anxiety affects student performance by reducing student engagement
(Xiang, 2004, p. 116). This study aimed to find out the mediating role of student
engagement in the relationship between foreign language anxiety and English language
achievement.

3. Method

3.1 Research Design
This research was designed in prediction research design, one of the quantitative research
designs because it aims to reveal mediating role of engagement in the relationship
between foreign language anxiety and English language achievement. In prediction
research designs some variables are identified as explanatory variables and predict
outcome variables (Creswell, 2009, p. 341). A structural equation model was tested to
examine how foreign language anxiety affects achievement directly and through
engagement. Foreign language anxiety is predictor variable, English language
achievement is outcome variable, and student engagement is mediator variable.

3.2 Participants
The participants included 605 students studying at the Foreign Languages Department
of a university located in the Central Anatolia Region in the Spring semester of 2018-2019.
Since some studies have found that university students have higher levels of foreign
language anxiety (Donovan and MacIntyre, 2005, p. 420; Guo, Xu & Liu, 2018, p. 56), the
students learning English as a foreign language in university level were chosen. 70.7% of
the participants consisted of male students and 29.3% of them are female students. When
language levels examined, it was observed that 43.3% of the students were beginners,
while 44.5% of them were in elementary level and 12.2% of them were in pre-intermediate
level.

3.3 Instruments
Foreign language anxiety was measured using Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety
Scale (FLCAS, Horwitz et al., 1986). The validation study of the scale was conducted by
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Oruç (2020). The scale consisted of three subscales, failure anxiety, speaking anxiety and
lack of self-confidence. Student engagement was measured by Language Engagement
Scale developed by Oruç (2020). The subscales of the measure are cognitive engagement,
affective engagement and social engagement. In order to measure English language
achievement, the student grades of the previous term (Fall) were used. MacIntyre and
Gardner (1994, p. 284) asserted that common indicators of achievement in foreign
languages are course grades and standard proficiency exams.

3.4 Data Analysis
Before analyzing the data, skewness and kurtosis values were examined to test the data
distribution. These values were found to be between +1 and -1 and the data was normally
distributed. Pearson Moments Correlation analysis and path analysis were used to
examine the data. Also, Variance Inflationary Factor (VIF) analysis was performed to test
multicollinearity between the independent variables and it was found that there was not
a multicollinearity problem between the variables. Correlation analysis was performed
in SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program and path analysis was
performed in AMOS package program.

4. Results

In line with the research questions, it was examined whether student engagement in EFL
classroom has a mediating role in the relationship between foreign language anxiety and
English language achievement. Structural equation model was used to test the model.
Foreign language anxiety is independent (exogenous) variable, English language
achievement is dependent (endogenous) variable and student engagement is mediator.
Theoretical diagram model is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Path Diagram of the Structural Equation Model
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT
IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

The model consists of two structural models that show causal relations between
endogenous and exogenous variables and one measurement model that shows
relationship between latent variables and indicators. Structural models indicate the direct
effect of foreign language anxiety on English language achievement and the effect of
foreign language anxiety on English language achievement through engagement.
Measurement model consists of foreign language anxiety which is exogenous variable
and indicators (speaking anxiety, failure anxiety and lack of self-confidence), engagement
and indicators (affective engagement, social engagement, cognitive engagement) which
is mediator.

4.1 Assumptions in Structural Equation Model
One of the assumptions of structural equation model is finding out whether observed
variables show multivariate normality. Since maximum likelihood method was used in
the model, normal distribution of data is a required condition. Table 1 shows the
multivariate normality test results.

Table 1: Multivariate Kurtosis Test
Kurtosis C.R.
Multivariate 2,194 2,389

As shown in Table 1, the multivariate kurtosis value is lower than 8. This shows that
variables have multivariate normal distribution. Another assumption requires linear
relationships between observed and latent variables. Scatter Plot Matrix confirmed the
linearity of the relationships between the variables. Finally, Mahalanobis distances were
examined in AMOS program to determine extreme values in data. The items with the
significance level less than <.05 were excluded from the data set.

4.2 Testing the measurement model
The measurement model must be tested before testing the structural model. The
measurement model consists of latent variables: foreign language anxiety and
engagement. Foreign language anxiety has three observed variables: speaking anxiety,
failure anxiety and lack of self-confidence, while student engagement has three observed
variables: affective engagement, cognitive engagement and social engagement.
Standardized correlation coefficients show the relationships between latent
variable and observed variables (Çelik ve Yılmaz, 2013, s. 119). Correlation coefficients of
the subscales of foreign language anxiety vary between .50 and .93 and coefficients of the
subscales of student engagement vary between .65 and .78. Goodness of fit indices of the
measurement model is shown in Table 2.

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT
IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Table 2: Fit Indices of The Measurement Model
Parameters Values
CFI .98
NFI .97
RMSEA .06
χ2 / sd 3.56

Fit indices show that the model fits the data (χ2 / sd =3,565). χ2/df should be lower than
5 (Kline, 2005, s. 208-211). Additionally, NFI, CFI and RMSEA values confirm the
goodness of fit because RMSEA>.10, CFI and NFI < .95 indicates good fit.

4.3 Testing the structural equation model
After examining the measurement model, the mediating role of engagement was tested
in the relationship between foreign language anxiety and English language achievement.
Maximum likelihood method was used in the path analysis. The path diagram of the
model is given in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Path Diagram of the Structural Equation Model

Structural relationships between the variables in the model show that foreign
language anxiety has a negative effect (β = -,59) on student engagement in foreign
language classroom. Similarly, it is observed that foreign language anxiety has a negative
effect (β = -, 37) on English achievement. Also, engagement in foreign language classroom
has a positive effect on English achievement (β =,19).
The direct effect (-, 41) between foreign language anxiety and English achievement
is reduced (-,37) when student engagement, the mediating variable, enters the model. It
indicates that engagement has a partial mediating effect in the relationship between
foreign language anxiety and English language achievement. Bootstrap confidence
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

interval statistics was used to test the mediation effect (Preacher & Hayes, 2008, s. 880).
The lower and upper confidence limits must be above or below zero together. The
Bootstrap confidence interval, direct and indirect effects are given in Table 3.

Table 3: The Direct and Indirect Effects of the Model
Dependent Independent Mediating Direct Indirect Confidence Mediating
Variable Variable Variable Effect Effect Interval Effect
English Foreign Engagement in ,-37* -,11* -,176/-,06 Partial
Language Language Foreign p<,005
Achievement Anxiety Language Class
*p<,05

Table 3 shows that student engagement has a partial mediating role in the relationship
between foreign language anxiety and English language achievement. Fit indices for the
model are given in Table 4.

Table 4: Fit Indices of the Model
Parameter Values
CFI ,97
NFI ,97
RMSEA ,06
χ2 / sd 3,864

When the fit indices of the model are examined (χ2 / sd = 3,864), it seems that the
theoretical model shows a good fit to the data. Likewise, NFI, CFI and RMSEA values
support the goodness fit of the model. RMSEA>.10, CFI and NFI < .95 indicates good fit.
Also, χ2/df should be lower than 5 (Kline, 2005, s. 208-211). The total effect coefficients of
the variables are shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Total Effect Matrix of the Variables
Foreign Language Anxiety Student engagement
Affective Engagement -,51 ,56
Cognitive Engagement -,38 ,65
Social Engagement -,33 ,87
English Language Achievement -,48 ,19

Table 5 shows that foreign language anxiety affects the subscales of engagement
negatively and English language achievement. Student engagement has a positive effect
on English language achievement.

5. Discussion and Conclusion

This study aims to reveal the effect of foreign language anxiety on English language
achievement through student engagement in the preparatory classes. Firstly, the
theoretical model was identified as an acceptable model in the study. When the structural
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Eylem Oruç, Cavide Demirci
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT
IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

relationships between the variables were examined, it was concluded that foreign
language anxiety affected student engagement negatively. Xiang (2004, p. 116) states that
foreign language anxiety affects student performance adversely and reduces their level
of engagement. Asghar (2014, p. 248) examined engagement and anxiety levels of the
students in her study and found a negative relationship between these two variables.
Another finding in the study was that foreign language anxiety affected English language
achievement negatively. Liu and Zhang (2013, p. 1) asserts that exam anxiety negatively
affected academic achievement in their study conducted on university students in China.
Finally, it has been found that student engagement positively affects English
achievement. Many studies has supported that student engagement has a positive effect
on academic achievement (Finn, 1989, p. 117; Junco, Heiberger, and Loken, 2011, p. 119;
Harbor et al., 2015, p. 5; Reeve and Lee, 2014, p. 527) According to Harbor et al. (2015, p.
7), student engagement is one of the best predictors of achievement.
The model of the research consists of three parts: two measurements models and
one structural equation model. In the first measurement model, foreign language anxiety,
which was an exogenous variable consisted of three observed variables: failure anxiety,
lack of self-confidence and speaking anxiety. In the first measurement model lack of self-
confidence is the variable which explains foreign language anxiety better than the other
subscales. Cheng et al. (1999, 417) and Matsuda & Gobel (2001, s. 228) assert that self-
confidence has an important role in explaining multi-dimensional structure of foreign
language anxiety. In the second measurement model, student engagement which was the
mediating variable, consisted of social engagement, affective engagement and cognitive
engagement. Affective engagement explained student engagement better than the other
subscales.
The structural equation model indicated that foreign language anxiety of the
students affected their English language achievement through engagement. The
mediating effect of student engagement was negative and partial. Thus, it can be
concluded that the effect of foreign language anxiety on achievement is partially
eliminated when student engagement predicts English language achievement. This
means that the impact of foreign language anxiety on English language achievement
cannot be fully explained by students' engagement in a foreign language course.
Therefore, other variables which weren’t in the model may mediate the relationship
between foreign language anxiety and English language achievement.
Motivation associated with foreign language anxiety and student engagement in
several studies can be one of the variables mediating this relationship (Reeve, 2012, p.
150; Liu and Chen, 2015, p. 193; Liu and Zhang, 2013, p. 11). Motivation has a positive
relationship with foreign language anxiety (Liu and Zhang, 2013, p. 11) and academic
achievement (Niemiec and Ryan, 2009, p.). Thus, increasing motivation of students will
enable students to be more active in the learning process and this will reduce foreign
language anxiety. In this sense, the role of motivation in the relationship between foreign
language anxiety and English language achievement can be investigated. Another
variable that can be investigated this model is teacher support. Studies examining the
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

relationship between teacher support and student engagement indicate that teacher
support has an important role in developing engagement (Klem and Connell, 2004, p.
262; Skinner, Furrer, Marchand and Kindermann, 2008, p.765). Thus, teacher support can
be examined as another mediating variable in the relationship between foreign language
anxiety and English language achievement.

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